Switch



Jan. 2, 1940. F. L. HUMl-:sToN 2,185,849

SWITCH Filed Feb. 28, 193e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 2, 1940. F L HUMESTON2,185,849

SWITCH Filed Feb. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig-5f /7 i i' ,2 E N f- C ghm l v 3/ INVENTOR Frederic/r L Humeson ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 2, 1940Um'rlazo STATES SWITCH Frederick L. Humeston, New Haven, Conn., as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Western Cartridge Company, acorporation of Delaware Application February 28, 1936, Serial No. 66,153

6 Claims.

This invention relates to switches and more particularly to switches forhand lamps.

An object of the invention is to provide a hand lamp switch which may belocked in the on or oi position and which may also be positioned topermit intermittent operation of the switch and flashing of the lamp.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple type ofconstruction for carrying out the above object consisting of relativelyfew parts which may be cheaply made and which is unlikely to get out oforder. In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of theinvention.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged, sectional View of a portion of a iiashlightcasing showing the switch of my invention with the slide in the lockedposition;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the slide in its intermediate positionpermitting flashing of the light;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the slide in its forward position whichretains the switch closed;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the switch member removed from thecasing;

Fig. 5 is a transverse, sectional View on line 5 -5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detailed View of the member which forms the sliding switchlock;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the switch spring; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of the switch connection.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numera! l designates a portionof a ashlight case. A vswitch connecting strip 2 extends from theportion of the case on which the switch is mounted to the lamp socket(not shown) and is connected thereto in any suitable manner. Between thecase` and the switch connecting strip a layer of insulation 3 arranged,and a similar layer 4 of insulation is arranged on the inside of theconnecting strip to insulate it from the ashlight cells (not shown),which are normally arranged in the casing. As shown, the switchconnecting strip is connected to the case at spaced intervals by rivets5.

' The switch comprises a switch box or housing 6 which is mounted on thecase at a convenient point. It is provided with an ear on each side bymeans of which it may be secured to the case by rivets l or othersuitable fastening means. The rear of the switch box is provided with anopening adapted to receive a button 8 which functions in flashing thelight. As shown, the button is provided with a flange 9 which ts under acircular raised portion I8 of the switch box. A switch spring IIismounted on the inside of the switch box with its free end inengagement with the button as shown. The spring II normally retains theflange 9 against the raised portion I Il. 'I'he opposite end of theswitch spring is secured Ato the top of the switch box by a rivet I3.This end of the switch spring is reduced in width as shown at I 4 inFig. '7 of the drawings. Adjacent the button and the free end of theswitch spring II the switch connecting strip 2 is provided with anupstanding portion I5 which passes through openings in the case and inthe insulating strip 3.

A switch slide is arranged on top of the switch box forwardly of thebutton 8. It consists of a suitably shaped member I6 having a pair oflugs I'I extending from its sides which are adapted to pass throughopenings in the switch box. These lugs embrace a switch lock member I8(see Fig 6). As shown, this member I8 is provided with a pair of cut-outportions I9 for the reception of the lugs. The lugs are then bent aroundthe under surface of the switch lock member I8, as indicated at 28 inFig. 5 of the drawings, to hold the switch lock member in positionadjacent the inner surface of the switch box. A spring 2l is arrangedwithin the slide I6 and is held therein by engagement of its ends withshoulders 22 formed on the inner surface of the switch slide and bycontact with the top of the switch box. As shown, the spring 2I isflexed toward the top of the switch box and is provided with a detent 23which is adapted to engage either of three stops 24, 25 and 26 formed onthe top of the switch box to retain the switch slide in either of threepositions.

The switch lock member I 8 is formed from a blank of the shape shown inFig. 6 of the drawings and before assembly this blank is offset as at 2lto dispose the rear portion of the member against the ashlight case asindicated at 28. Arms or extensions `are then bent upwardly to form cams28. The forward portion of the switch lock member which is arrangedimmediately below the inner surface of the switch box is provided withan offset or indent 30 which, when the member is in the forward positionshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, is adapted to contact with an upwardlyextending portion 3l of the connecting strip 2. As shown this upwardlyextending portion SI passes through suitable openings in the ashlightcase and in the insulating strip 3. A portion of the switch lock memberadjacent the offset 2'I is cut out as indicated at 32. The cams 29 areprovided with sloping edges 33. v

In operation the slide I 6 is adapted to be arranged in either of threepositions to permit locking the switch, hashing of the iight, or toretain the switch in the on position. In Fig. 1 of the drawings theslide is shown at its rear position with the detent 23 engaging the rearstop 26 on the top of the switch box. In this position the cams 29 arearranged under the wide portion of spring II beneath the button 8.Flexing of the spring to close the circuit between it and the contact I5is prevented. Contact with the other contact 3| is also open so that theswitch is locked in the off position. With the parts in this positionthe reduced portion I4 of the spring I I is arranged adjacent thecut-out portion 32 of the switch lock member and these parts are spacedfrom each other as shown in Fig. l of the drawings so that the onlycontact between the spring I I and the slide is between the wide portionof the spring and the cams 29.

When the slide is moved forwardly to the intermediate position so thatthe detent 23 engages the stop 25, contact between the switch slide I8and the `front contact 3l is still open as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings. The cams 29, however, have been `moved out of alignment withthe button 8, spring il and contact I5, and pressure on the button 8exes the spring into contact with the contact l5 to close the circuit.The circuit is maintained in closed position as long as pressureisapplied to the button 3 and when the pressure is removed from thebutton 3 the resiliency of the spring Il breaks the Contact.

If the slide I6 is moved to its forward position with the detent 23engaging the stop 24, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings and the depression 3U of the switch slide is brought intocontact with the front contact 3I of the connecting strip 2 to close thecircuit.

The spring 2| is of simple construction and is held in place between theshoulders 22 and the top ci the switch box to exert suiiicient pressureto maintain the detent 23 in a desired one of the stops 2.4, 25 or 26against accidental displacement. The Contact members are also of simpleconstruction and the switch spring lI functions entirely independentlyof the slide I8 except when the slide is in its rear position shown inFig. l of the drawings with the cams 29 immediately below the adjacentportion of the spring and the button t. When the slide is moved to itsforemost position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the steady on Contactis completed by the depression 33 and the contact member 3i entirelyindependently of the elements which function in the making of anintermittent contact. The sloping edges 33 of cams 2S may be employed toraise the spring Il from contact i5, should the spring become stuck, forany reason.

I claim:

.1.. A. hand lamp switch comprising a conductor member mounted on thecasing of a hand lamp, a switch box mounted on the casing, a pair ofspaced contacts carried by said conducting member and projecting intosaid switch box, a depressible contact carried by said switch box andadapted to engage one of said spaced contacts, a sliding Contact carriedby said switch box and adapted to engage the second spaced contact, andmeans carried by said sliding Contact and movable thereby to a positionfor obstructing movement of the depressible Contact toward said xedContact and thereby positively securing said depressible contact.against operation.

2. A hand lamp switch comprising a conducting member mounted on thecasing of a hand ilamp, a switch box mounted on the casing, a pair ofspaced contacts carried by said conducting member and projecting intosaid switch box, a spring mounted in said switch Abox having a free endadapted to be depressed to engage one of said spaced contacts, Vand asliding contact in said switch box adapted to vengage the other of saidspaced contacts and having a sloping part engageable with the free endof the spring to se- Mcure the spring against movement toward said firstcontact.

3. A hand lamp switch comprising a conducting member mounted on thecasing of a hand lamp, a switch box mounted on the casing, a pair ofspaced contacts carried by said conducting member and projecting intosaid switch box, a spring mounted in said switch box having a free` endadapted to be depressed to engage one of said spaced contacts, a slidingcontact in said switch box adapted to engage the `other of said spacedcontacts and cams carried by said sliding contact' and adapted to engagesaid spring to prevent depression of said spring.

4. A hand lamp switch comprising a conducting member mounted on thecasing of a hand lamp, a switch box mounted on the casing, a pair orspaced contacts carried by said conducting member and projecting intothe opposite ends of said switch box, a spring arranged adjacent one endof said switch box having a free end adapted to be depressed intoengagement with one of said spaced contacts, a button onsaid -switch boxfor depressing said spring, a slide arranged on the exterior of saidswitch box, a sliding contact arranged in said switch box and connectedto said slide, and a cam mounted on the end of said sliding contactadjacent said button, said sliding contact when in one position beingsoarranged that said cam engages said spring to prevent depression of saidspring, when in a second position being free'to permit operation of saidspring and when in a third position engaging the other of said spacedcontacts.

5. A hand lamp switch comprising a conducting member mounted on thecasing of a hand lamp, a switch box mounted on the casing, a pair ofspaced contacts carried by said conducting member and projecting intosaid switch box,

a spring mounted in said switch box having a tact arm, means foroperatively mounting one end of the arm and securing the arm againstendwise movement, the other end of the arm being depressible intoengagement with one of the fixed contacts, locking means movablerelative to the contact arm to a position under the depressible endthereof to obstruct movement of the arm toward said first xed Contact,and a sliding contact operatively connected to said locking means andmovable selectively into one position for engaging the other of ysaidxed contacts, into another position for moving the locking means underthe depressible end of the contact arm, and into a third'position inWhich'it is out of engagement with the second xed contact and manitainsthe locking means out of locking relation with the contact arm.

FREDERICK L. HU MESTON.

